January 27, 2014
Fade Away—Seether (3:55)
The Wizard of Seattle Grace
Callie
She had known him for only a little under a year and yet it felt like a lifetime. She didn't know why that was. Callie had heard people say that it felt like they'd known someone forever and had always assumed they'd been exaggerating. Now she wasn't so sure.
Harry was something special. He was kind and generous and genuinely nice. But there was something just under his skin that wanted out. Something that wasn't kind or generous or nice. And she liked that part of him too.
Callie studied him across the kitchen table. They had a dining room. A great big room with a huge table and they never used it. They always ate together in the kitchen. She liked it. It was homey.
She took a bite of her lasagna and shook her head at herself. Harry's eyes had been sadder than normal today and it had led her thoughts off into thoughts of him. She wanted to know why he was always so sad. And why today was worse.
"Because today is my wife's birthday," Harry said out of the blue as though he'd read her mind. Knowing him it was possible. "Ginny would have turned twenty-five today. And I miss her."
Callie cocked her head to the side. "I'm sorry you lost her. Can I…?" She paused not knowing what to say.
Harry shook his head in fond amusement. "Callie, you're not going to make it worse by asking me anything. I'm always going to miss Ginny and the others. But it's better than it was. And…" He stopped himself. That information wasn't what she was wanting to know. Not yet. He'd done a lot of thinking since coming to Seattle. The conclusions he'd come too had startled him and he sometimes hated himself for them. "I loved her with everything I had then," he told her.
Callie smirked at him. "I did know that, Harry. You're not a man to do anything halfway. If you love someone then you do it with your whole heart."
Harry shrugged a bit embarrassed at her description of his character. "But I do know that she'd be pissed if I mourned her for the rest of my life, Cal. I'm not intending to. Just today is a bad day. If I were home…with Ginny and the rest." He chuckled a bit. "Merlin! I can just see the party we'd have. She was the youngest and so very spoiled."
Callie grinned back. "So let's have a party for her," she suggested. "Call everyone and ask them to come over. We'll get food and booze and music and rock the house. Honor her memory."
Harry leaned back in his chair and stared at her. "That's…a very good idea, Callie. I like it. Seriously. She'd love it." He stood up and put his plate on the counter by the sink before turning back to her and coming around the table to her side. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her head. "Thank you," he breathed out.
Callie patted the hand on her shoulder. "You're welcome." Callie grinned at the wall pleased that she could give him this. Understanding and acceptance. It was one more step down the path to forever. It was enough for now.